Little Szechuan coming soon to West End

If you love Little Szechuan but can't make it to St. Paul as often as you'd like, here's some good news: The popular eatery is opening a second location at The Shops at West End in St. Louis Park.

The new restaurant will be located on the corner of 16th St. and Park Place Blvd., adjacent to Cooper Pub and across from Rainbow Foods. The restaurant is tentatively set to open on May 25, but the date is subject to change, according to Jin Zhu, vice president of Little Szechuan and spouse of owner Rong Bai. Zhu says the decision to expand was based on the popularity of their food. "People like our authentic Szechuan food, and we feel obligated to share our culture a bit more," said Zhu. He said that in choosing a second location, they specifically wanted the new restaurant to be in the west metro. "After many years of searching, we found The Shops at West End matches our concept extremely well," said Zhu.

According to Zhu, much of the new menu will match that of the original restaurant, focusing on authentic Szechuan cuisine. However, it will also offer exclusive menu items not found at the St. Paul location, including dishes featuring lobster tails and black cod. The West End location will also offer beer and wine, as the St. Paul location now does.

The planned hours for the new location are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Monday and 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday.